Showing posts with label Filipino Cuisine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filipino Cuisine. Show all posts

16 September 2008

Lunch at Bamboo Beach

Me and a whole bunch of bloggers had the pleasure of checking out Kawayan Cove- this sweet little exclusive seaside community being developed by Edge Properties on a forested shoreline down in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Before I get down to the delicious details of the amazing lunch they had prepared for us down in Kawayan Cove's very own Bamboo Beach, allow me to just fill you in on what was in store for us for our visit that day.

It's a property worth checking out, particularly if you're seriously into real estate, and even more so if you're looking to get a piece of tranquil beachfront property for yourself. Check out Kawayan Cove's official website here.

It was a fun visit with fellow bloggers; the Puyat family was there to give us the grand tour of the place, joined by food and travel blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet who was also there to give us useful tips and pointers on taking better pictures for our blogs.

Despite the light rains, we managed to get a good look at Kawayan Cove, and were able to take quite a lot of pictures. As for me, well, I took a lot of pics of one of the most awesome lunches I've had in a while.

The Bamboo Beach Beachside Banquet

Well, at least that's what I thought I'd call it- even as Anton was doing his talk on Food & Travel Photography, the staff of Kawayan Cove were already whipping up a storm. Right behind us, they were roasting seafood and chicken over some hot coals. Fortunately, it wasn't long until we had lunch going on.

There was plenty for everybody- so much food that you didn't know where to start. It's hard to miss the lechon- pig roasted Philippine-style- ready for carving right next to the grill.

And even as we were going around taking pictures of the food (bloggers that we all were!), the Kawayan Cove staff was serving us these crabs in garlic and coconut right next to our individual plates.

Right after taking a lot of these sweet pics, a lot of us started off at the grill, where there were skewers of shrimp and squid, as well as some grilled tilapia and these huge fish they were serving up as they came out of the coals. I took a few of the skewers and a tilapia for myself before hopping on to the next table, where some bloggers were helping themselves to some tinola- a chicken ginger stew with vegetables.

This particular tinola had a special twist, as it some coconut juice and fruit mixed instead of the usual green papaya or chayote. Needless to say, it tasted great, and made for a good start for our hearty lunch.

It seems everyone had some of the roasted chicken- I had two pieces myself. And on the serving table right next to it, were a variety of side-dishes that go well with either the chicken, roast pig or the crabs.

We had these green mango slices, which you usually eat with bagoong- a potent salty-sweet shrimp paste Filipinos use on a lot of dishes. There was also a pot of achara- Philippine pickled vegetables, and a salad of salted eggs and tomatoes.

There were a couple of kangkong (Philippine water spinach) dishes, one served as a salad with sliced onions and tomatoes, and then there was my favorite- kangkong stalks stir-fried in a light coconut milk sauce.

Naturally, there was lots of rice to go with all that food- but I skipped on it, opting to go low-carb for the day. I also skipped out on most of this huge roasted fish that graced the table- only getting a small slice from its side.

While there was dessert served after the meal, I was so stuffed that I decided to pass on it. Also, my fingers had crab-juice all over them, so I couldn't take any more pictures until I washed my hands. I helped myself to this very welcoming bowl of fruit right after that heavy lunch.

Now that was a good lunch, made even better as we were bonding with fellow bloggers, as well as with the Puyat family, who were even showing us old pictures of them when they were young and hanging out at this very same beach.

Needless to say, the food was great. The staff of Kawayan Cove were on hand to clear out the plates, keep the drinks coming, and hand out warm towels right after we were done with the fish and crabs. Excellent service on their end, and you have to give them props for that.

Special thanks to Mr. Joey Puyat and everyone in the Puyat family who joined us that day for being such gracious hosts; they were all there to welcome us, show us around Kawayan Cove, and pretty much made us feel right at home.

Also, thanks and shout-out to fellow blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet- for giving us some tips on how to be better photo-bloggers. Last but not least, thanks to our friends from Geiser-Maclang for making it all happen.

Cheers, everyone!

14 January 2008

Renzie Recommends: Abe

This post was initially published on Renzie's Online World of Awesome, which at the time was known as Renzie's Rants and Raves. I have since then decided to make a separate blog on food, cooking and all sorts of dining experiences (this blog, Renzie on Food), and so transferred this post from its original location. Read on!

From the same group (the LJC Restaurant Group, that is) that gave you other great restaurants like Cafe Havana, Cafe Adriatico and Bollywood, comes another great dining concept: Abe.

Abe first opened its doors in Serendra, and now another branch has opened in TriNoma. I was fortunate enough to be able to check out Abe as part of a group of bloggers at last Wednesday's Bloggers' Food Tour (organized by the good people of Yehey.com). The event saw us sampling food from these fine food establishments and restaurants, as well as taking pictures and writing up reviews.

Abe is definitely one of those restaurants that I've got to check out next time I'm at TriNoma.

The Man Behind The Name.

Abe is a kapampangan word for 'friend' or 'companion'. Incidentally, it's also the nickname of renaissance man Emilio Aguilar Cruz (1915-1991), father of Larry J. Cruz (who owns the restos, thus the LJC group, get it?).

Abe Cruz had been known to have traveled a lot, not just within the country, but all over the world- partly because of his position as ambassador for the UNESCO in the 70s. His travels have been the inspiration behind the various food dishes featured in the restaurant- so you'll be treated to a wide selection of Abe's favorite dishes from Binondo, Europe, the Ilocos, Chinatown or from the recipes of family friends.

Giving the restaurant its unique personality and ambiance are selections of Abe's artwork and memorabilia- drawings, old photographs and collected pieces, mostly. So the resto has a warm, welcoming Filipino feel to it, nostalgic yet relaxing.


Specialties of the House.

Abe, for the most part serves favorite local dishes from the region of Pampanga: the Binukadkad na Crispy Pla-Pla (a large deep-fried tilapia fish splayed wide open), Kare-Kare (a tasty oxtail and tripe stew served with shrimp paste- great with lots of rice), Pastel de Lengua (tender and savory ox tongue cooked to perfection- matches very well with its pie crust topping), and Spicy Sisig Pampanga (minced pork jowl and chicken livers sautéed in garlic- accompanied nicely with ice-cold beer and good conversation).

From other regions comes the Gising-gising from Bicol, the Pinakbet from Ilocos, the Black Pata and Crispy Salted Shrimps from Chinatown, and the Cocido and the Morcon from our old Spanish past. Also included in the menu are really interesting dishes such as Gilda Cordero Fernando's Lumpiang Pica-Pica and the Rellenong Mais- from a recipe shared by Thelma San Juan and her mom.

(We were fortunate to have sampled what Abe had to offer at the Bloggers' Food Tour- my personal favorite is the Pork Binagoongan which I had with some rice, and with some of the lumpia and rellenong mais on the side.)

Where to Find Abe.

We visited Abe's restaurant located on TriNoma's third level. Aside from all the great food mentioned above, Abe also serves a variety of Filipino merienda favorites. The restaurant is open from 11am to 12 midnight. For reservations and inquiries, call them at 901-5691 to 92.

Alternately, you may want to visit the Abe at Serendra- located at the ground level of the Serendra Court. The number there is 856-0526.

Renzie Recommends is a continuing series of personal reviews of restaurants, food items and other dining experiences I think you should try out. Eating is one of the simpler pleasures we enjoy, wherever we go- and good food is definitely the the way to go.

Cheers, everyone!

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